Thursday, May 19, 2022

Touring Dinosaur National Monument and Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area (UT and WY)


We left Off Road RV Resort in Cainsville, UT at 8 a.m. with temps already at 80F degrees.  We had a 3.5-hour drive along UT-24, I-70, and UT-128 to arrive at Buzzard’s Belly General Store, our overnight Harvest Hosts site in Cisco, UT, about 40 miles from the Colorado border.  In the 1880s, Cisco was a thriving watering town along the route of a steam locomotive line.  In the 1920s it had an oil boom.  During its heyday, it boasted a population of 200.  But with steam no longer fueling locomotives and the oil boom going bust, things dwindled rapidly.  Cisco received its final death throw when I-70 was built and bypassed the town.  It became a true ghost town with nothing but rotting buildings, abandoned vehicles, and few other remnants of yesteryear.  Cisco’s claim to fame is that scenes from the 1991 film, “Thelma and Louise” were filmed on site.  In 2010, Eileen Muza decided to make Cisco her home.  She created an “artist in residency” program, wherein some useless junk has been crafted into some very cool artistic creations.  Today Cisco has 4 residents, including Janine and her hubby, who purchased an old truck repair operation in 2018 and turned it into Buzzard’s Belly General Store.  And land is for sale should you wish to become a “local”.  Buzzard’s Belly is an excellent Harvest Host site.  The parking area is huge, with easy accessibility and maneuverability.   The owners have spent time and resources to level off a good portion of the lot, which is especially appreciated by folks like us with longer, heavier rigs.  Janine is personable and gracious. We were excited she carried local farm fresh eggs in the store for us to purchase.  We walked around the main area of Cisco envisioning the town in its prime.  We admired the creativity of the artists in residency and laughed at the antics of the nearby prairie dogs.  The parking lot gave us a wonderful venue from which to watch the lunar eclipse and International Space Station (ISS) fly by at the same time!

 



Beautiful mountain views in the distance


Some of the old buildings of Cisco are still standing.

An abandoned RV gets a makeover.  It is now a work of art.


The moon rising...

...And then a partial of the lunar eclipse


A passing train acted as my alarm clock the next morning as I arose to witness a lovely sunrise.  We departed at 7:45 with Mom at the wheel, taking UT-128 about 5 miles to I-70.  After passing the state line, we turned onto CO-139.  Mom forfeited the wheel when we entered Douglas Mountain Pass—she gets anxious driving those winding roads with steep inclines and descents.  These roads were in bad condition and extremely rough from all the patch jobs done through the years.  We read that the road has not been repaved since it was done initially in the mid-1970s.  Dad warned me to strap myself in and to use caution when opening the RV cabinets, so I knew we were in for a wild ride.  Once through the pass, we noticed several interpretive sites.  But the rest stops/parking areas were tight squeezes for our behemoth setup.  Only 1 looked like we could fit, but the road sign cautioned that the maximum length for vehicles was 40 feet.  Bummer, especially since I learned after the fact that these interpretative stops are known collectively as the Canyon Pintado National Historic District. As Spanish priests passed through the area in 1776, they noticed the various rock art created by the Freemont Indians, thus naming the area  “Painted Canyon”.

The perfect alarm clock--a train passing as the sun rises.


Views from Douglas Pass

View of the road through Douglas Pass


We traveled on to CO-64, another rough ride attributed to poor road conditions.  We made it to the town of Dinosaur, CO on US-40 without me hurling the huevos that I had for breakfast.  We notice that everyone here and in neighboring towns embraces their dinosaur heritage by erecting life-sized statues of the reptiles. We turned left onto Harpers Corner Road within the Canyon Area of Dinosaur National Monument.  We traveled approximately 14 miles before turning left onto Blue Mountain Road/Moffet County Road 16, to the dispersed camping area operated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  Though this camping area is quite a bit off the beaten path, it offers peace, serenity, hiking, and magnificent views of the canyons.  Our Verizon service was pretty good, too.  There are only about ½ dozen sites within 1.5 miles of the road entrance, but fortunately there are a few that can accommodate big set-ups like ours.  We knew additional boondocking opportunities existed at Echo Lake, about 20+ miles further down Blue Mountain Road/Moffat County Road 16.  But from what we read, the sites are small, the road is rough, and 4X4 high clearance vehicles are recommended.  Weather would play a factor there as well, as the road becomes a muddy mess.  So, we were content setting up where we were.    Unfortunately, some of the neighbors were not very welcoming.







View from Harpers Corner Road


Simply spectacular canyon views along the route


These guys blocked Blue Mountain Road/Moffat County 16, trying their best to dissuade us from camping here...


...but we did not heed their message.


The next day, one of them left this "gift" for us.


From the mean look in his eyes, me thinks this is was the culprit.


This little lone sheep was much more welcoming, stopping by our rig to say hello.


                                             Video from our campsite:










Supposedly, there are no fossils in these canyonlands.  (These lands were only added to the Monument in 1938 to ensure no development occurs.)  All the dinosaur bones are in Vernal, UT.  So, the next afternoon we took the 45-minute drive to the Quarry Visitor Center.  We watched the film, and I worked on my Junior Ranger booklet while my parents perused the Campground in which our setup will not fit (there’s a surprise).   Rather than drive over to the Quarry Exhibit Hall and other formations in the area, we decided to hike over, getting in 3 miles round trip.   The dinosaur fossils in the Quarry Exhibit Hall and in other nearby rock formations provide quite a comprehensive paleontological record.  It was fascinating to see the skeletal remains of these massive monsters.  One of their femurs were taller than me and Mom!  And to think there are bones UNDERNEATH the Quarry  building in addition to what we see on exhibit in the Hall!  What an exciting feat it was for Earl Douglas to spot the first 8 tailbones of a sauropod sticking out of the ground in 1909.  Earl was a paleontologist from the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.  Since his initial discovery, the bones of nearly 400 different dinosaurs have been collected from these rock layers.  I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit—and I earned another Junior Ranger badge!

 




Quarry Exhibit Hall



Somebody lost his head.


Quarry Exhibit Hall



Look how tiny I am next to this femur!




This was a baby dinosaur!

Hiking trail to the other formations


View from the hiking trail to other formations


Another view from the hiking trail


I'm gonna need a new hat soon to display all my badges.


While in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park, Mom noticed some minor dry rot on our swivel wheel tires. My parents are always pro-active and try to fend off problems before they arise. So, Dad ordered replacements from Walmart.com to be shipped to the Vernal, UT Walmart store, which we would pick up while touring Dinosaur National Monument.  We have ordered from Walmart.com many times in our nomadic lifestyle without incident.  But this time, Walmart cancelled our order citing “fraudulent activity.”  After confirming with our own credit card service that they honored the charge and that they were not responsible for the order rejection, we called Walmart.com to advise that the order was legit.   Their Customer Service Rep said that they would remove the fraud “red flag” and we should replace the order.  Well, after another 3 attempts, 3 failures, and discussions with several useless supervisors, we changed strategy.  We called the Walmart store in Vernal, UT directly.  Interestingly, the physical store has nothing to do with Walmart.com and cannot place orders from the website.  The store has completely different vendors from which to make purchases. The store employees were most helpful in placing an order for us.  The tires were to arrive on Day 2 of our stay at Dinosaur National Monument—or so we thought.  But the shipment was delayed beyond our scheduled day of departure.  So, no tires here, only aggravation and frustration.  At least the current tires are D-rated and still have good tread.  We will watch them closely and order them once we arrive at our summer volunteer gig in Minnesota.


We calmed ourselves from the tire debacle with lunch at Pro Antica Pizza in Vernal.  What a perfect remedy!  Their business model is to serve only 1 size pie (13”), which is a good idea since it saves costs on baking pans and to-go box sizes.   Dad got his usual vegetarian with his plant-based faux cheese.  But Mom and I could not resist the traditional Margherita with fresh mozzarella.  Magnifico!  Their brick oven baked the dough (which was of perfect thickness) at a temperature that made it golden brown but not burned.  Pro Antica earns a Rambling RV Rat 5-cheese rating.


Dad's plant-based pizza.  Mom and I devoured ours before he could take a photo--it was a LONG time since either of us ate REAL cheese!


We departed Harpers Corner Dispersed Camping Area in Dinosaur, CO on an overcast, crisp (45F degrees) morning, taking a final glimpse of the gorgeous canyon views and pretty fields of brightly-colored wildflowers.  We hopped on US-40 before traversing along US-191.  This is a spectacular route through the Uinta Mountains, which contain Utah’s oldest fossils.  


Departing Dinosaur, CO

Scenery along US-191...

We then entered Flaming Gorge, named by John Powell during his 1869 Colorado River expedition.  We stopped for a quick picnic lunch at the Flaming Gorge Dam Visitor Center.  Then we went inside to watch the films, a must-do for this Rambling RV Rat.  Construction occurred between 1958 and 1963, and its official dedication was attended by Lady Bird Johnson in 1964.  It stands 502 feet tall, and its length is almost as long as the Empire State Building is tall.  The reservoir created from the Dam provides approximately 365 miles of shoreline.  The water temperature is controlled and kept at approximately 53F degrees, mighty comfortable for the local fish population.  Importantly, the dam’s powerplant has 3 generators with a capacity of 50,000+ kilowatts each, supplying electricity to more than 70,000 homes across several states.  At least those were the stats before recent years of drought.










Front side of Flaming Gorge Dam


The back side of Flaming Gorge Dam

View of the Green River from the spillway


We returned to scenic US -191 and crossed into Wyoming for the rest of the day’s journey to Rock Springs.   We were expecting to have a quiet night boondocking at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Middle Baxter Road Dispersed Camping Area.  We were in good spirits and renewed awe of the wonders of our magnificent homeland .








And then it happened.  Big Boomer, our medium duty tow vehicle, suddenly got very, very sick.  He became fatigued and just could not muster any energy.


I’ll tell you about the whole fiasco in my next post.

 


Monday, May 16, 2022

Touring Capitol Reef National Park, UT

I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as we hit the road on a crisp morning for our next destination:  Capitol Reef National Park near Torrey, UT.  UT-12 was a slow go with its switchbacks and steep grades from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, but it just gave me more time to absorb the beauty of the landscape.  After passing through Boulder, UT, the scenery changed to alpine forests.  We were halfway to heaven at Heritage Overlook, 9,300 feet above sea level yet still climbing.  Remnants of winter’s white blanket were still evident here.

 

View from Heritage Overlook

Soon we were on UT-24 and entering Capitol Reef National Park. We planned to spend 1 night in an RV park to pump and dump then boondock the rest of our stay at Bureau of Land Management (BLM) dispersed camping areas along UT-24.  But one of the BLM areas would be dusty and noisy since it was near the ongoing UT-24 road construction.  The other boondocking options along this route were congested already with RVs, making it impossible for us to maneuver.  So, we decided to stay all 6 nights at Off Road RV Resort in Cainsville, UT, about 30 miles east of Capitol Reef National Park on UT-24.   This is a new RV park, celebrating its second season.  It has HUGE full hook-up sites.  Ours was so ginormous (150 feet), it could have fit 2 of our setups!  We had good cell signal, and they offer free Wi-Fi, but there is no infrastructure for those who need toilets, showers, or laundry.     We had lovely views from the Resort, included a gorgeous sunrise.  It was a bit pricey at $50/night, especially since that rate included a 25% “early season” discount.  We learned late in our stay that Off Road RV Resort offers use of their dump station to non-guests for a nominal donation.  Discovering this tidbit and the many boondocking areas OUTSIDE of Capitol Reef National Park that we were not aware of initially, we could have saved some serious cheese money.  But my parents were willing to shell out some bucks to support a small, local, family-operated business in their entrepreneurial endeavors.

  



I viewed this glorious sunrise from our kitchen window.


We set-up Suite Retreat and unloaded the trike and side by side, fighting off the horrific winds that seem to be following us everywhere we go.  Then we went to the next town, Hanksville, for fuel, a few groceries, and to log a geocache.  While there, Big Boomer had a photo shoot with Kathline Rock, an unusually shaped formation near Goblin Valley.  Across the road, a few miniature hoodoos stood, with the snow-capped Henry Mountains towering above them in the distance.

Kathline Rock and Big Boomer

Miniature hoodoos in the foreground

Henry Mountains


We also visited Carl’s Critter Garden, where recycled and reusable materials became art creations within an inspirational Zen Garden.  We returned to the RV Resort and took a stroll alongside the Freemont River as the sun was setting.  Lots of wildflowers were blooming along the river banks.


 
I luv this message: "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees or the stars...Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be.  Find whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.  It is a beautiful world."

Freemont River








The next day we rode Maximus the Trike to the Visitor Center.  We watched the informative film then rode along Scenic Drive.  The first 9 miles are paved roadway, and it provides magnificent views of the Waterpocket Fold, a step-like wrinkle in the Earth’s surface.  Then Scenic Drive turns to gravel and sand for another 2 miles.  Dad didn’t want Maximus to get dusty or dinged, heaven forbid!  So, he parked the trike and we walked the balance of the road, affording us views of Golden Throne, a rock formation that towers 7,100 feet above sea level.  Then we hiked 1 mile along the Capitol Gorge Trail to view petroglyphs and the Pioneer Register, where early settlers carved their names/initials into the rock walls.  Funny, if we do this type of "visual communication" now, it is vandalism.  Yet, the "grafitti" from other centuries now is considered history.  Anyway, it was getting mighty hot and I was pooping out.  Good thing I stumbled upon Hyles Lineata, or, as I like to call him, Mothzilla.  He occupied my attention for a little while.   We returned to the parking area needing to fuel up both Maximus and our bodies.  So we went into Torrey, enjoying a quick bite to eat at Slacker’s, a nostalgic burger joint that had a plant-based option for Dad.  We stopped at Panoramic Point, but the views were not optimal because the 40 mph winds were creating major dust storms, especially with the nearby road construction.





This is a good view of Waterpocket Fold.


Golden Throne in center


Capitol Gorge Trail

Mothzilla in Action


                                                                   

The next day we hiked the 4.7-mile Chimney Rock Loop Trail.  It has a 600-foot elevation change within the first ¾ mile, which we surmise is the only reason the Park designates it as “strenuous”.  Seeing Chimney Rock, after which the Trail is named, was cool, but it was not the best part of the trek for me.  The highlight for me was the spectacular panorama from the peak of the Trail. 

 

Chimney Rock

That's Chimney Rock to the left of Maximus


Looking up at the rock formations from the bottom portion of the trail






The Creature Feature of the day was a desert spiny lizard.

Castle Rock

After lunch and refueling Maximus in Torrey, we headed to the Boardwalk Trail to view the petroglyphs on the rock panel.  Historians are not sure the meaning or intended message of the carvings made by the Freemont Indians nearly 1,000 years ago.  But based on what I saw, I think they were saying that they encountered aliens!

 

There is NO WAY these carved figures in the rock represent humans!


On another day we toured the Fruita Historic District.  I felt transported back in time, admiring the heirloom orchards started in the late 1800s by the 10-12 Mormon families who settled in this area.  How courageous and resourceful these pioneers were, dealing with the extremes of flooding and drought on a regular basis.  They worked all year to grow their pears, apples, peaches, apricots, plums, and cherries--from pruning dead tree branches to digging irrigation ditches, from harvesting to canning and preserving.  We stopped at the Gifford Homestead to purchase a fruit pie as suggested in the National Park literature, but it was after their business hours.  I wasn’t too disappointed—the fruits used are not from the local orchards.  Nope, these pies are knockoffs like the $25 Rolex watches you could get off a New York City street vendor.  However, the pies are symbolic.  They represent the culture of the Mormon settlers, illustrating how they survived AND thrived in the area through the fruits of their labor (pun intended).  We also stopped at the schoolhouse.  This little building was multi-purpose, serving as a church and social hall in addition to the school.  It started with 2 dozen students, which dwindled to a half-dozen when its last class graduated in 1941.  The land on which the school was built was donated by Elijah Behunin, one of the early settlers.  Guess it was out of necessity--he and his wife Tabitha had 13 children, 1 of which became the school’s first teacher.  We also visited the Behunin family cabin, where 11 of the 13 offspring lived with Elijah and Tabitha.  Talk about tiny house living!

 

Heirloom orchards

You can purchase fruit pies during business hours at Gifford Homestead.

The deer came for a fruit pie, too, but settled for the nearby grass. 



A sneak peek inside the schoolhouse window.

The Behunin family cabin, the epitome of tiny living!


Our destination the next morning was the Hickman Bridge Trail.  Though only 1.8 miles round-trip, Mom was glad she brought her walking sticks, especially after we witnessed someone trip and fall.  This trail is heavily populated.  It offers views of a natural bridge and of Capitol Dome, the rock formation shaped like the top of a government building which inspired the Park’s name (to see the best views, watch my video of Scenic Drive).  I often pick out shapes within the clouds and find myself doing it with rock formations (mainly because it keeps me from worrying about falling off the cargo compartment when we are riding!)   Many of the rocks of Capitol Reef National Park look intricately designed, as if formed with a chisel and pick.  And some come in such vivid colors!  

 


A Natural Bridge

Same bridge, different angle

Two views of Capitol Dome along the trail.



After our hike, we rode down Notom-Bullfrog Road.  We discovered BLM has additional dispersed camping areas along this road.  The area is popular among ATV/OHV riders.  As we traversed further, we were enthralled with the thousands of acres of legacy farms and the back view of the Waterpocket Fold.  We turned around after 15 miles, when the road turned from paving to dirt.  But had we continued, we would have met up with the back end of the Burr Trail Road that we traversed within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.


Hoodoos along Notom-Bullfrog Road

One of the many legacy farms in the foreground and the rear view of Waterpocket Fold in background.




We decided to spend our last day utilizing Rat Patrol II, our Polaris RZR side by side.  We already had a Utah non-resident OHV sticker in our possession and we were just 3 miles from Swing Arm City, an off-roader’s playground (especially for Motorcross enthusiasts) operated by BLM.  We tooled around the natural bentonite clay dunes.  This recreation area offers something for every skill level, from newbies to advanced.  I was impressed watching little tykes honing their riding skills while practicing safety--they all wore their protective gear.  Swing Arm City provides fantastic views of Factory Butte and the majestic Henry Mountains. We learned dry camping is allowed in the area, too.  We then went 9 miles further west on UT-24 to Cathedral Valley Scenic Backway, another BLM-operated site with a small dry camping area and off-road opportunities.  We took Trail 0082, which brought us to some awesome rock formations.  One particular rock formation looked so much like the town of Bedrock, I thought for sure I would see Fred Flintstone emerge!  Since OHV’s are not allowed within the National Park boundaries, we could not go the full 17 miles to see Temple of the Sun, said to be a good spot for sunset.  This was a bit disappointing.  But with the sun already low in the sky, we didn’t want to be that far out by ourselves after sundown.  Anyway, Mom’s interest had been piqued earlier in the week by a “Historic Site” sign just a few miles before our RV Resort.  We learned Mormons started coming to the area to farm in 1883.  Originally named Blue Valley, the settlement was renamed in 1895 to honor the Mormon Bishop, Henry Giles, who once resided there.  The town grew to a population of 200 in 1900.  But the excessive flooding of the Freemont River, particularly the flood of 1910, caused havoc for these folks.  Devastated by the constant destruction of their crops, the townsite was abandoned by 1919.  The sign said the ghost town and cemetery were only 2.5 miles away—I was ready and raring to go.  Then we came to a second sign that put the kibosh on our plan.  That sign said “Flood”.  The sign did not lie—the road to Giles was completely submerged.  Guess the Freemont River continues its antics even today.  




The dark spots represent the deep ruts in the clay from the OHVs climbing the dunes.  Cool! 



Factory Butte...



The view of Henry Mountains from Swing Arm City                          



Good photo of the Waterpocket fold and the vividly colored layers of rock.


This formation looked like the faces of 2 dogs to me, 1 beagle, 1 pug (uh, no, I wasn't smoking a funny cigarette).

I bet the Flintstones are here!

After reading all the info on this sign, I was excited to hike to Giles ghost town.

But alas, the rest of the road to Giles lies in the Freemont River.


Well, I've gotta run.  I'll bid adieu with a photo of me, the Rambling RV Rat, proudly exhibiting my latest Junior Ranger badge.  Talk to you again soon!